Future of figure skating | Golden Skate

Future of figure skating

Hevari

Drivers start your engines!
On the Ice
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
What will be our sport like in the future? Let's predict and tell what we want and how we see the developing of our sport...

As for me - my personal favorite, the pair skating now reached ideal balance betveen every elements and artistic side. Maybe I would remove one lift in FS to leave some more room for artistry...

Singles - I would make it less jump-centric... maybe adopt something from roller skating judging system... Like spin bonuses or other things. And re-establish spirals as a separate element in ladies singles! For me who grew up watching Nancy Carrigan, Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen and others, to remove spirals from element list was one of the worst ISU's mistakes of 2000-2010's.

Maybe to establish something kinda "extreme skating" for those teen quadsters and "artistic skating" for other skaters who can't or don't want learn quads. (and than compare crowd size he-he:))

Dancing - less acrobatic tricks please... Let dancing be dancing....
 

yume

🍉
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
What will be our sport like in the future? Let's predict and tell what we want and how we see the developing of our sport...

As for me - my personal favorite, the pair skating now reached ideal balance betveen every elements and artistic side. Maybe I would remove one lift in FS to leave some more room for artistry...

Singles - I would make it less jump-centric... maybe adopt something from roller skating judging system... Like spin bonuses or other things. And re-establish spirals as a separate element in ladies singles! For me who grew up watching Nancy Carrigan, Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen and others, to remove spirals from element list was one of the worst ISU's mistakes of 2000-2010's.

Maybe to establish something kinda "extreme skating" for those teen quadsters and "artistic skating" for other skaters who can't or don't want learn quads. (and than compare crowd size he-he:))

Dancing - less acrobatic tricks please... Let dancing be dancing....
I agree that pairs have ideal balance between artistry and technical elements. At least it's the impression that i have when i watch Sui/Han and James/Ciprès programs.

I'm not against quads/3A revolution in singles, especially in ladies. There was enough stagnation and even relapse these last 30 years. I want to see exceptional layouts. In an ideal world i want to see a perfect balance between artistry and high technical difficulty. Mao's fantaisie impromptue at GPF was pretty sensational in that era. No one matched the difficulty of that layout till herself at Sochi. But there are not many now who can combine both now. I see just one maybe two with that potential.
I agree 1000% about the comeback of spirals. In the SP mostly because it is supposed to be the technical program.

I know nothing of ice dance. I just watch. And almost everyone is always beautiful.
 

Hevari

Drivers start your engines!
On the Ice
Joined
Jan 20, 2014
I agree that pairs have ideal balance between artistry and technical elements. At least it's the impression that i have when i watch Sui/Han and James/Ciprès programs.

I'm not against quads/3A revolution in singles, especially in ladies. There was enough stagnation and even relapse these last 30 years. I want to see exceptional layouts. In an ideal world i want to see a perfect balance between artistry and high technical difficulty. Mao's fantaisie impromptue at GPF was pretty sensational in that era. No one matched the difficulty of that layout till herself at Sochi. But there are not many now who can combine both now. I see just one maybe two with that potential.
I agree 1000% about the comeback of spirals. In the SP mostly because it is supposed to be the technical program.

I know nothing of ice dance. I just watch. And almost everyone is always beautiful.

Can't agree. Because I also watch figure skating for a long time (since 1994 OG) and can't say that ladies singles are in stagnation or relapsing. That's not true. And I don't thing that quads and 3A's with turning ladies skating into kid/teen girls skating is the only and best way for sport to develop. Skating is not only about jumps....

And for me spirals must return in both programs...
 

NaVi

Medalist
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
I agree that pairs have ideal balance between artistry and technical elements. At least it's the impression that i have when i watch Sui/Han and James/Ciprès programs.

I disagree because pairs programs are the absolute most predictably laid programs of any of the disciplines.
 

yume

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Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
Can't agree. Because I also watch figure skating for a long time (since 1994 OG) and can't say that ladies singles are in stagnation or relapsing. That's not true. And I don't thing that quads and 3A's with turning ladies skating into kid/teen girls skating is the only and best way for sport to develop. Skating is not only about jumps....

And for me spirals must return in both programs...
Okay. Let's talk about free program. Midori Ito at 1988 olympics did without a triple axel, an harder layout than 2011 and 2012 worlds champions.
In 1991-1992 season, Yamaguchi and Ito's layouts were not easier than the 2010 olympic champion. Or easier than the 2013 worlds layout of that skater. Though in 2010 3lz-3T was talked about as if it was novelty, the hardest combo ever done.

Thankfully since last season things are changing.

And about spirals i said mostly in SP. Not only in SP.
 

Hevari

Drivers start your engines!
On the Ice
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Jan 20, 2014
Okay. Let's talk about free program. Midori Ito at 1988 olympics did without a triple axel, an harder layout than 2011 and 2012 worlds champions.
In 1991-1992 season, Yamaguchi and Ito's layouts were not easier than the 2010 olympic champion. Or easier than the 2013 worlds layout of that skater. Though in 2010 3lz-3T was talked about as if it was novelty, the hardest combo ever done.

Thankfully since last season things are changing.

And about spirals i said mostly in SP. Not only in SP.

Harder or easier... You talk as figure skating is only about jumps. Do you really thing that difficulty (and sportive/athletic side of figure skating) is and can be only in jumps?
 

yume

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Record Breaker
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Mar 11, 2016
Do you really thing that difficulty (and sportive/athletic side of figure skating) is and can be only in jumps?
No. But jumps are the most difficult imo. Everyone can do a spin. Not everyone can do a 3A/quad or a 3-3lo.
 

NaVi

Medalist
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
The big issue for me is the lack of flexibility in program construction in the free skate. The Zayak Principle applied to everything even outside the jumps has made skating programs too predictable.

In my ideal world, most(75%+) of the value of spins in the freeskate would be judged on how they work choreographically. The ideal spins should work kind of like a music visualizer works. They would be judged collectively so you could o 2-5 different spins. You could have "technical spins" in the SP and raise their value... I don't care as long as spinning is made more free in the free skate.
It should be possible to replace one jump(with the value of around a 2A) with other elements... choreograph sequence... spiral sequence... part of a step sequence... maybe a technical spin(as opposed to the group of choreographic spins).
It should be possible to cut the step sequence into 2 or 3 sequences.
Something like this may already be happening(Tom Z made a comment about jump sequences on theskatinglesson's instagram), but if we're entering the quad/3A era of ladies skating then how important is the sequence deduction? Let them have one free sequence of jumps.
There should be an additional bonus for 3A and quads by minute... 0 for 1st minute... 5% for 2nd minute... 10 for 3rd minute... 15% for 4th minute.

Competing on art IMO needs to have some kind of spontaneity to it. Figure skating is too Groundhogs Day with the repeating the same programs over and over again from September to April. I'd like there to be two different free skates per season by the top teams.

There are other things I could talk about but freeing the free skate is what I care about most.

Pairs should be shifted more towards ice dance. There's no need for combination jumps in pairs programs(make them all sequences if you must)... they hurt the flow of the program. I question the need for a death spiral in every program. I question why there is no step sequence in the free skate while there are 3 over head lifts the audience probably can't tell apart. I like twist lifts, but their position in the programs are very predictable to the point where I wouldn't mind them restricted to one of the programs. Pairs seem to do a better job with side by side spins vs pair spins(because of the mismatch in body types) yet they decided to go with pair spins in the free skate. I'd like to see hand-in-hand skating and ice dance like lifts.
 

Hevari

Drivers start your engines!
On the Ice
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Jan 20, 2014
No. But jumps are the most difficult imo. Everyone can do a spin. Not everyone can do a 3A/quad or a 3-3lo.

But can everyone spin like Lucinda Ruh or Stephan Lambiel or Rohene Ward? Can everyone do a spiral like Sasha Cohen or Michelle Kwan? Can everyone skate like Carolina Kostner or Patrick Chan?
 

LynsJ

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
I would love to see the free skates across all disciplines being more free. Maybe one less big element to allow for more expression, or more choreographic sequences.
I have no problem with pushing the jump boundaries but it shouldn’t be at the cost of artistry.
As much as I love ice dance by the end of the season I start to get a bit tired watching the RD’s. I’m hoping this year it will be more interesting as the theme is more open ended than something like tango.
Bring back the spiral! [emoji7]
 

yume

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Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
But can everyone spin like Lucinda Ruh or Stephan Lambiel or Rohene Ward? Can everyone do a spiral like Sasha Cohen or Michelle Kwan? Can everyone skate like Carolina Kostner or Patrick Chan?

Can everyone do a 3lz-3T like Liza Tuktamysheva?
Miyahara is a far better spinner but there are galaxies between their 3Lz-3T combos.
Everyone can spin but not with the same quality. The same thing with jumps. Just that for jumps there are things that not everyone can do, and it's not a matter of quality
 

Osmond4gold

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Yes, it's all about the jumpzzz and never mind about quality, speed, spins, edges, power, height, skaking skills, presentation and audience connection, as being a complete skater should never be an end goal. :sarcasm:

Hmmm...with this type of mentality, no wonder the sport is losing people's interest. So, it's not a matter of quality as some would say...really?
 

yume

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Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
Yes, it's all about the jumpzzz and never mind about quality, speed, spins, edges, power, height, staking skills, presentation and audience connection, as being a complete skater should never be an end goal.

Hmmm...with this type of mentality, no wonder the sport is losing people's interest daily. :sarcasm:

Well, since it's you who is saying that it's all about jumps, maybe you should change your mentality.
 

merrywidow

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
I'd like to see more split jumps, spread eagles, fast footwork. I agree about ice dancing, less acrobatics, more dance.
 

Jetta

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Unfortunately I don’t see any change any time soon to the direction figure skating is going. Right now it is unfortunately all about the jumps. It’s quads quads quads and triple triples and triple axels. You have to have those in your arsenal in spades now to make it onto the podium. Forget about a great performance or connection to the music, or flow over the ice or good skating skills. There is no incentive for those things anymore.

I am not against moving the sport forward. I just wish there was more of a balance with equal emphasis on the quality of the skating. And honestly I think the majority of casual fans cannot tell the difference between a triple and a quad.

I definitely agree about bringing back the spiral sequences!
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
No. But jumps are the most difficult imo. Everyone can do a spin. Not everyone can do a 3A/quad or a 3-3lo.

Everyone can do a spin. Not everyone can do an absolutely stunning spin like Jason Brown or what Lambiel used to do. Everyone can do a spiral. Not everyone can do a spiral like Sasha Cohen. Everyone can do footwork. Not everyone can do beautiful intricate footwork. None of these things are rewarded now in any substantial way.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
I think the popularity of FS will depend on how its accessibility to general public is addressed. A step in the right direction would be lower ticket prices for events that don't have large attendance (this year's Coupe du Printemps is a good example of what it shouldn't look like - meagre audience participation, no stars, but expensive tickets). Also, doing something about the deletion of skating videos due to copyright issues would be considerable help. Those are two major issues to address that I can see. Plus I'd love to see long-term stars who stick around (and stay relevant) for more than one Olympic cycle.
Apart from that, I would really like even more transparency in evaluating elements. I am pleased with the comprehensive score boxes on screens, with the big deductions for failed jumps as I hope it makes high-risk jumps look less like a sure way to get points. But like someone mentioned above, I think there could be a greater range of marks when it comes to e.g. spins. Seeing slow, labored spins rewarded by level 4 makes me annoyed. And I'm sure I'm not the only one among the general fans who know little about the technical aspect.
 
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